Robin Weigert arrives at the cocktail party celebrating Premiere Magazine's Best Performances of 2006. (photo: Jesse Grant/WireImage.com)

Who's Her Daddy?

Back in 1979, when Sarah Jessica Parker was playing Annie on Broadway, she got a new Daddy Warbucks when Conrad John Schuck took over for Reid Shelton. Since then, Parker has graduated from curly haired orphan to tousled seductress and Schuck has had a successful career that's included extensive TV ('McMillan and Wife' and 'Law & Order:SVU') — but he's often returned to playing Daddy Warbucks in various productions, including his current run at the Palace theater in Waterbury, Connecticut.

During previews, Parker came to see his latest rendition of 'I Don't Need Anything But You' and his new leading lady, Marissa O'Donnell, got to meet her idol. "Last Saturday Sarah came with her son, her mother and her sister — they came backstage afterward and Marissa got to meet her. She was just in seventh heaven," Schuck told the Hartford Courant. And how did Parker like the show? "She loved it." (photo: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage.com)

[Hartford Courant]

Head in the Clouds

Merchant, like Millman, gets his big break

He was a shy kid who sprouted into a 6'7" giant, so Stephen Merchant has been happy to hover in the shadows of his co-star, writing partner, and former boss (he was Ricky Gervais' assistant at Xfm radio back in the day).

But playing Andy Millman's clueless agent has made the sidekick a star. In the wake of the BBC's recent airing of 'Extras,' Merchant recently earned "Best TV Comedy Actor" at the British Comedy Awards, topping his 'Extras' "client," who was also nominated. Rest assured, he hasn't let it go to his already elevated head. "It's not brain surgery. Just don't assume that because you've been on telly that makes you better than everybody else." (photo: Eamonn McCormack/WireImage.com)

[Metro]

Jesus vs. Paris Hilton?

In her new documentary, 'Friends of God: A Road Trip With Alexandra Pelosi,' the Speaker of the House's youngest daughter goes on a road trip with her handheld camera to look at evangelical Christianity in America. It turns out her tour guide was the Rev. Ted Haggard — while he was still president of the National Association of Evangelicals, prior to being accused of having sex with a male prostitute and buying drugs. "I unfortunately chose the wrong leading man," the filmmaker told The New York Times. She's concerned that Haggard's participation and her mother's new job will prevent people from seeing her film with an open mind. "I believe in the culture war," she said to the Times. "And you know what? If I have to take a side in the culture war I'll take [the Christian conservatives'] side. Because if you give me the choice of Paris Hilton or Jesus, I'll take Jesus." The doc airs on HBO on January 25th. (photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com)

[NY Times]

The real Borat: Sacha Baron Cohen at a portrait session in New York. (photo: Robert Caplin/WireImage.com)

Tina's Time Off

Lots of actors take time off from their careers to recharge and experience real life. Not many are tweens when they do it. Tina Majorino started her career hoofing and singing at age 2 and catapulted to commercials, TV and film from there ('Corrina, Corrina,' 'When a Man Loves a Woman,' and 'Waterworld' make up some of her early work). By 1999 after doing a TV movie of 'Alice in Wonderland' she was burnt out. "I was really tired, and I wanted to spend time with my family and my friends, and go to school," she told Backstage West. "And I had kind of lost my passion for it. I'm the type of person that, if I'm not into it 100 percent, then I kind of don't want to be involved in it." Luckily she's back — at 200 percent, with her roles in 'Veronica Mars' and 'Big Love.' (photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage.com)

[Backstage West via Detroit News]

Superfly Casting

Spike Lee looks for a leading man

Mourning for James Brown continues but the question on everyone's mind in certain Hollywood circles is: Who will play the Godfather of Soul in the movie? Spike Lee and Brian Grazer had already had a bio pic in the works — one that apparently takes an honest look at the singer's life. The Internet buzzed with rumors earlier in the week that Samuel L. Jackson was Lee's first casting choice, but now some are asking whether Jackson, who turns 60 next year, will be able to handle those splits. IGN.com asks readers to consider the pros and cons of other casting options: Jamie Foxx, André Benjamin, Eddie Murphy, Terrence Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, Derek Luke or Cuba Gooding, Jr. (photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com)

[The Star]

[IGN.com]

Judgment Day

Piven finds a loophole

At a press event for his new film, 'Smokin' Aces,' Jeremy Piven shared what he really thinks about his character getting the boot from his star client. "It's interesting because one of the great things that you should never do that I learned from John Malkovich is to never judge your characters. So I don't have any distance to be honest with you because I'm so kind of in that Ari Gold space ... I don't see the totality of it like you do. So, my view of it is totally skewed. I say that they were wrong." In other words, Piven may not judge Ari, but Ari doesn't have to hold his tongue about Vince. (photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com)

[Comingsoon.net]

Queen for a Day

New Orleans native Patricia Clarkson will wield the scepter as celebrity monarch for the Krewe of Orpheus carnival parade — organized by fellow New Orleansian Harry Connick Jr. The 30-float parade winds through town on February 19th, on the eve of Mardi Gras. (Not to be confused with the Bacchus parade that James Gandolfini will reign over on the 18th; there are a total of 31 parades in 10 days as part of the city's carnival celebration this year.) "As our city rebuilds and rediscovers itself, it could not be more fitting that Patricia Clarkson be honored by the Krewe of Orpheus and our city," said Sonny Borey, the krewe's captain. (photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com)

[Starpulse]

[Canada.com]

Critics' Choice

Helen Mirren, who is on schedule to do the rounds of awards shows for both her turn in Stephen Frears' 'The Queen' as well as HBO's 'Elizabeth I,' wasn't in attendance at the NY Film Critics' Circle awards on Sunday night, where James Cromwell accepted her award for best actress for 'The Queen.'

Mark Wahlberg was on hand, however, to support director Martin Scorsese's award for best director — along with his costars from 'The Departed,' Matt Damon and Leo Di Caprio (who presented the honor to Marty). Wahlberg hoped it was a sign of awards to come: "If a guy like Marty calls, you show up. I hope it's his year (for the Oscar). I'm going to vote for him; he's my guy!"

Robin Williams went off script to accept the award for best animated film for 'Happy Feet': "I want to thank you on behalf of all gay penguins," he said. "There's no way you could have found out five out of 10 penguins could possibly be gay. How they found that out, I don't know — bl*wing a penguin is very hard." (photo: Ron Galella/WireImage.com)

[This Is London]

[The Reeler]

Bosom Buddies

Jon Stewart pulls Louis CK off the stage

"I think you have really nice tits," Jon Stewart told his longtime friend, Louis CK, after the comedian talked about the day his man boobs arrived. "When they came in I had all these weird feelings," Louis explained. "It's the only moment that a 12-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man have in common." Louis also ranted to the Daily Show host about how his four-year-old daughter has "suddenly forgotten how to sleep," and how this has affected him. "First of all, I don't love her any more. It changes the way you think..." this prompted a doubled-over Stewart to drag Louis and his chair off the stage, but not before the 'Lucky Louie' star could start in with a babies in the garbage bit. He didn't name his comedy special 'Shameless' for nothing. (photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com)

[Comedy Central, video link]

Adam Beach and Jessica Biel backstage at the 18th International Palm Springs Film Festival Awards. (photo: Amy Graves/WireImage.com)

Wheels and Heels

The stars aligned in Motor city this past weekend for GM's Style event — an oddly fashionable warm up for the North American International Auto Show in which stars are paired up with one of GM's 17 new cars for a runway show. Talking to the crowd before hitting the runway, Cheryl Hines was tongue tied, given all of the things she wasn't allowed to divulge (what car she was escorting or whose dress she'd be wearing). "[Why] are there so many secrets in Detroit? What are you people doing here?" she demanded.

Hines drives a Lexus SUV Hybrid in her real life and was pleased to be able to let it slip that GM would be presenting four new hybrids. Meanwhile, for fun during her stay the poker-playing actress stopped by the Greektown Casino and pocketed $24 in winnings. Good thing she doesn't own a gas guzzler. (photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com)

[Detroit News]

[Detroit News blog]

Not-So-Green Meadow

By the time the last season of 'The Sopranos' makes it to air this spring, the cast and crew will already be saying their goodbyes. Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has played Meadow since she was a teenager herself, is already feeling the loss. "I don't think any of us are (ready for the show to end). It's bittersweet....I know I'll never have an experience like this again. Some of the cast and crew had become my closest friends and they've seen me through a lot."

Not knowing what the future holds may be scarey, but she knows, too, it's time to graduate from being Tony and Carmela's little princess: "So I'm trying to appreciate everything even more. But it's been almost 10 years. I could be 35 playing Meadow and I'd still be 'the daughter'." (photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage.com)

[UGO]

British Invasion

"The Broadway community is a much tighter community. In London, it's so spread out and so big. There's a theater here and two miles away there's another group of theaters. It's not like New York, where everyone's on top of one another and they all meet at restaurants after the show," said 'Deadwood' star Brian Cox when asked of the differences between London and Broadway actors.

"Where I trained, we rebelled against the idea that the Americans and the Brits were divided. We learned from each other." But, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art graduate added, "the main difference between us is our voices. We Brits were trained to pitch a whisper to the back of the stalls. That was what our training was about."

The Emmy®-Award winning Cox, one of Hollywood's favorite British imports ('Running with Scissors,' 'X2,' and 'The Bourne Supremacy') has had a very successful transatlantic theater career. He made his Broadway debut in 1984, with Eugene O'Neill's 'Strange Interlude' starring Glenda Jackson and recently headlined Tom Stoppard's London sensation 'Rock 'n' Roll.' And according to Theatremania.com, should Stoppard's hit make it to Broadway, Cox may once again be a part of those late-night post-show gatherings. (photo: Djamilla Rosa Cochran/WireImage.com)

[Theatremania.com]

Lucy Liu, Cedric the Entertainer and Nicollette Sheridan at the New York premiere of 'Code Name: The Cleaner.' (photo: Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic.com)

Acting Nice

HBO thespians fared so well with nominations for the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, announced last week, that they'll be competing against each other in some of the categories. Co-stars of 'Elizabeth I,' Jeremy Irons and Helen Mirren were nominated for Actor and Actress in a Telefilm or Miniseries. For that honor, Mirren will be up against Annette Bening and Chloris Leachman for their roles in 'Mrs. Harris.' Meanwhile, over in the Drama Series competiton, the happy 'Sopranos' couple Edie Falco and James Gandolfini are up for best Actress and Actor. Jeremy Piven is in the running for best Actor in a Comedy Series for 'Entourage' — and he joins his castmates in the Comedy Ensemble category. The casts of 'Deadwood' and 'Sopranos' are both nominated for best Drama Ensemble. Now there's a showdown we'd like to see. (photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com)

[Variety]

Extra Extra

Ever think your eyebrows could make you a star? Next weekend, HBO and Playtone (Tom Hanks' production company), the producers of a new mini series about John Adams, will be holding a casting call in Virginia for background players for the film. (Paul Giamatti is playing Adams). According to the casting notice: "The Casting Director is seeking men, women and children of all ages and ethnicities. Emphasis is being placed on finding people with long hair, clean-shaven faces, women with natural eyebrows and hair color, very thin men, women and boys, and faces with character." If you're in Virginia, Saturday, January 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday, January 14 from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., head to the Virginia Center Commons Shopping Mall and see if your brows have what it takes. Remember: there are no small roles...just very small actors. (photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.com)

[WTKR]